Review by rinabeana (2006-07-27)
This is a relatively short book (compared to some of Michener's tomes!) and focuses on the lives of Sam Houston and Santa Anna, who only met one time, in the crucial battle of San Jacinto, which liberated Texas from Mexico in 1836. Both parties have long and colorful histories, but this book (called a "novel" on the cover) touches on the salient points, mostly leading up to the meeting at San Jacinto, though we do learn what befell both men for the remainder of their lives. The thing that made it interesting to me is that it's not written from that so-called unbiased viewpoint the history books pride themselves on. Much of the writing is even sarcastic, especially with regard to Santa Anna's constant posturing and changeful nature. Houston doesn't escape criticism either, routinely being referred to as a drunk (when he went on drinking binges, at least). I think what I liked about this was that these two giants of Texan/Mexican history seemed very real as depicted by Michener. The story was concise and interesting. If you want a quick read that's informative and entertaining, I'd recommend this book.